Introduction
Astrology is the most relevant esoteric belief system of our times. It is the only esoteric belief that is still practiced in the modern world openly with little to no prejudice beyond the shallow cultural criticisms that stem from its over-commercialization and trivialization.
This widespread acceptance is evident in the prevalence of astrological content in popular media, social platforms, and even some academic circles.
Criticisms against astrology usually focus on its lack of scientific basis and its association with superstition and irrationality. Commentary against astrology often points out that its cultural relevancy is a vestige of pre-scientific worldviews that are no longer relevant in the age of modern science and that its prevalence in the zeitgeist is a result of cultural conditioning and marketing.
The reality is that challenging astrological ideas from a scientific perspective is quite easy, so there's no shortage of people who are willing to enter into long argumentative debates to debunk its validity.
For example, you can simply point out the the fact that astrological definitions are based on astronomical observations that are no longer valid.
The precession of the equinoxes, a natural phenomenon causing the apparent shift in the celestial backdrop, has indeed altered the position of constellations relative to their original placements as described by early astrological definitions.
However, this type of argumentation fails to establish a ground on which one could build a real argument against astrology as a whole, specifically because evergreen astronomical accuracy is not an important aspect of astrology.
The significance of astrology lies not in its astronomical precision, but in its potential for psychological insight and self-reflection.
Most astrological views tend to converge on the idea that what makes astrology timeless despite astronomical changes, is that its archetypal patterns and symbolic associations emerge in the codification and study of the system itself, and not on precise readings of the visible sky.
This is particularly true for the Tropical Zodiac, a fixed framework based on the seasons rather than constellations, where current observations are made against a fixed framework that doesn't change, regardless of the shift in the actual constellations.
It's worth noting that in Sidereal Zodiac, which accounts for the shift in constellations, the value of this particular accuracy is also a lesser aspect when you consider that any astrological system is significant because of the psychological correspondence between an astrological observation and a fact of life.
This is an important point when discussing the relevance of astrology, because it helps us understand that astrology is not a science in any modern sense of the word.
Astrology gains relevance when it is understood as a codification of psychological correspondences and cultural patterns, and when it is rationalized as an art where the artist is the observer and the observations are subject to the mind's interpretation.
This is a view that gains merit when one considers for a brief moment an idealistic view of the world, where mind is the ultimate substance of the underlying reality and matter is an idea manifested by the mind's activity.
Of course, the problem here is that to assert astrology's psychological significance, one must be willing to reject, at least for a brief moment, the mechanistic worldview that modern science has established as the only rational way to understand reality.
This rejection is necessary for any argument that seeks to elaborate on the role of human consciousness and its interaction with the objective world.
It's analogous to the paradigm shift a theoretical physicist must undergo when transitioning their argumentation from classical Newtonian physics to quantum physics.
In Newtonian physics, the world is deterministic and follows clear, predictable laws. However, quantum physics introduces uncertainty, probability, and the role of the observer in shaping reality.
Similarly, to appreciate astrology's potential significance, one must be willing to shift from a strictly mechanistic worldview to one that acknowledges the possibility of complex, non-linear relationships between astrological observations and human psychology.
This shift allows for a more nuanced understanding of how symbolic patterns might reflect or influence our inner psychological landscape.
Any view that attempts to describe the significance of astrology outside of traditional scientific argumentation must consider the possibility of subtle, interconnected influences that may not be immediately apparent in a reductionist framework.
Just as appreciating a painting doesn't require proving its objective truth, engaging with astrology asks us to value the insights it can provide without demanding empirical evidence.
This approach acknowledges that some forms of knowledge and understanding can be valuable even when they don't adhere to the methodologies of modern science.
However, this begs the question:
How can astrology be significant without objective empirical evidence?
To answer this question, we need to consider the subjective experience of astrology, exploring how individuals interact with astrological concepts and derive meaning from them in their personal lives.
The Subjective Experience of Astrology
One common criticism of astrology is that astrological information tends to be vague and general and that when people find it meaningful, they are usually exercising some form of post-hoc rationalization that describes their own inherent behavioral biases.
For example, one astrological observation such as "People born with the Sun in Aries are known for their fiery tempers" can be seen as a generalization about a common human behavior that arises in specific contexts.
After all, we all have felt some version of impatience, quick tempers, and impulsive actions at some point in our lives.
However, this criticism fails to consider that this assertion only holds value when the observer is able to recognize the behavior in question as real and dominant description of one's character.
This subjective interpretation is key to understanding astrology's psychological significance, as it requires active engagement and self-reflection from the individual.
I certainly have felt the impulse to express my impatience and anger in a fiery manner at some point in my life, and most people can relate to these emotions.
But it's clear in my own self-understanding that impulsiveness isn't a defining characteristic of my personality.
Because I cannot prove to anyone the depth of my self-understanding then any argument about astrological significance automatically fails to overcome the boundaries of my own personal and subjective experience.
This is a problem for any rationalization of astrology because it establishes a limit on how far one can reasonably extend an astrological interpretation to describe an individual's character.
If I cannot prove that I'm capable of exercising good discernment of my own character, then I cannot prove the personal significance of astrological information.
Moreover, simple assertions like the one mentioned earlier are an over-simplification of the intellectual process of performing an astrological reading or interpretation.
In deep astrological practice, the process of creating an astrological interpretation is influenced by a roleplaying process where the astrologer and the querent (which in many cases is the same person) need to engage in a receptive dialogue that assigns meaning to the information.
This process might involve exploring how different astrological elements interact, reflecting on past experiences, and considering potential future paths.
Once again, this highlights that astrology is predominantly a psychological practice, tightly bound to a subjective experience that cannot be objectively proven.
It means that astrology is only significant if the observer is willing to accept it as a source of meaningful information and that significance is only valuable in the intimacy of the observer's mind.
In simpler words, any psychological correspondences you find in astrological information are only valuable to the extent that you are able to recognize them as real matches between the described patterns and your own psychological patterns.
This is the core argument for the psychological significance of astrology.
It's not a matter of proving that astrology is true, but rather, accepting that any pattern observed in the objective world can potentially shed light on the workings of our own subjective mind.
This is not only true for astrological information, but any other esoteric or exoteric information that requires the observer to engage in a process of introspection and meaning-making.
Carl Jung referred to this process as the individuation of the self, a term that describes the process of becoming aware of and integrating hidden aspects of one's own psyche.
Jung understood the individuation process as a journey towards wholeness and self-actualization that unfolds when the observer is receptive to the symbolic language of the world.
It's important to note that Jung himself found astrological symbolism to be a highly valuable tool for psychological understanding.
In his own words:
"Astrology is assured of recognition from psychology, without further restrictions, because astrology represents the summation of all the psychological knowledge of antiquity."
Astrology as a Psychological Tool
Understanding that astrology is a subjective experience allows us to understand its significance in a psychological context.
First, we must acknowledge that although astrological information is perceived through the subjective mind, its materialization emerges as a recollection of patterns about the objective world.
For example, earlier astrology like the one done by the Babylonians was indistinguishable from simple astronomy. The systematization of celestial observations during ancient times allowed for the prediction seasonal changes and natural events and is this particular idea what would later formalize astronomy as a science.
The personal significance of celestial observations is a less well understood aspect of the ancient astrological studies, but it is well accepted among historians that most ancient civilizations were deeply influenced by their own astrological beliefs and practices.
For many of these civilizations, astrology was a religious affair that was deeply integrated into their daily lives and their understanding of the world.
It was only until the Hellenistic and Greco-Roman eras that astrological studies started to become more philosophical and lay down the systematized foundation we now use to describe correspondences between celestial configurations and human affairs.
In particular, it is the work of Ptolemy in his seminal astrological book "Tetrabiblos", that helps us establish the psychological framework and the archetypal references that are central to modern western astrological understanding.
We could also do a brief overview of other astrological roots and resulting systems such as the Vedic, Chinese, and Islamic astrological traditions.
However, for the sake of brevity, it would be enough to mention that regardless of its roots, all astrological traditions share the common goal of establishing a meaning between the human experience and the Unknown.
It is this common goal what defines the psychological significance of astrology.
Astrology is a psychological tool because it allows the practitioner to challenge their own subjective experience and acknowledge their entire human experience as the unfolding of a pattern.
More precisely, what astrology attempts to teach us is that our lives might have an unknown systemic purpose and meeting that purpose is a process into the darkness of our own psyche.
The meeting of that purpose is what many spiritual writings and esoteric beliefs describe as the "Soul's Journey" or "The Great Work".
Astrology can serve this integration process by allowing the practitioner to mirror their own existence into a series of abstract patterns and archetypes. Whether or not these patterns evoke meaningful psychological correspondences is a highly personal matter and a direct reflection of the individual's unique psyche.
As we have already established, astrology subjectivity forces the practitioners into a solitary journey of inner self-reflection and is in this process that astrology gains its validity as a psychological tool.
It would be appropriate to conclude this essay by reinforcing the previous idea once more and simply stating that astrology is meaningful as long as you are willing to accept it as such.
Only one can say if what they find in astrology reflects a personal truth or if it's just another self-deception.
Only one can lower rational barriers and see one's own psyche as a reflection of the world.
Only one can find personal meaning in the symbols and patterns of one's own observations.
Only one can know who they really are, and only one can give significance to their own existence.
If you read this essay, only you know why you're here and only you know where you need to go next.
A note about Selfgazer
Selfgazer is a platform that combines esoteric practices with psychological introspection. Based on Jungian psychology and traditional contemplative methods, it offers two approaches to self-discovery:
• Birth Chart Analysis: Examine the celestial patterns present at your birth, revealing potential psychological correspondences and inner truths.
• Psychological Tarot: Explore the enigmatic symbolism of Tarot to uncover deeply rooted insights about your psyche and the circumstances shaping your reality.
To learn more, visit selfgazer.com.